Simple Skillet Green Beans
This green beans recipe is a perfect healthy side dish in 15 minutes. All you need is a pile of fresh string beans, one pot, garlic, olive oil and a little spice. That’s it! Sautéed green beans are easy to make and go great with any meal!
I originally shared this technique for cooking green beans and simple recipe on July 10th, 2015. I have updated the text today.
Table of contents
Best Green Beans Recipe
As a professional recipe developer for 20 years, my #1 goal is to help you get a healthy dinner on the table fast! These green beans are ready in 15 minutes and are my family’s favorite green beans recipe!
I have been making string beans this way since I first learned to cook. My dad stumbled upon this cooking technique, and we loved them so much we have been making them this way ever since. I can always count on this simple method to make everyone happy at any occasion, from weeknight dinners to a holiday meal.
Ingredients For This Green Bean Recipe
- Extra virgin olive oil: I chose extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe but another cooking oil like avocado oil or canola oil works too.
- Red pepper flake: Added for a little heat (do so to taste.) Note, if you are sensitive to spicy food, it is okay to omit this and instead season them with ground black pepper.
- Fresh Green beans: You’ll need one and a half pounds of fresh green beans or string beans.
- Minced Garlic: Fresh chopped garlic is the star of the simple seasonings in this easy green bean recipe. You’ll need three cloves.
- Coarse kosher salt: We chose coarse kosher salt instead of table salt because it is easier to sprinkle. You can use regular table salt if you prefer, but note that it is higher in sodium so you will need less. Read more about substituting kosher salt here.
- Water: To keep this fresh green bean recipe as simple as possible we save a step and dishes by adding water to the skillet to steam them. They’ll be perfectly tender and keep great texture.
Tip For Buying Green Beans: At the grocery store pick through the pile of green beans and avoid wrinkled, broken or rotting string beans. You can use yellow wax beans or Haricots verts which are French green beans. Note that they cook more quickly but will work too, just adjust your cooking time. If buying pre-trimmed green beans, check the expiration date and avoid wet or slimy-looking green beans that are past their prime!
How To Cook Green Beans
Not only is this simple garlic green bean recipe so much better than canned or frozen green beans, but it is arguably the easiest way to cook green beans!
Cut the stem ends off. An easy way to do that is to line a handful of stem sides together and cut them off with a sharp knife. I think this method is faster than breaking them off by hand.
Next, choose a large skillet with a well fitting lid. You can use a cast-iron skillet or stainless, but do not use a non-stick as the temp will get too high. (Note: if you don’t have a large lid, a sheet of aluminum foil will work too.)
Add your oil to the skillet and let it get hot. Bloom the crushed red pepper flake in the oil for a few seconds then add the beans to let them blister and brown. Turn them with tongs.
After that step, you can add the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant, but doesn’t burn.
Then add the water. Adding water at this point in the cooking process will prevent the sauteed garlic from burning and it creates steam, so you can trap that in with the lid to cook the beans through.
How to Know They’re Done: The cooked string beans will become bright green and cooked to crisp-tender perfection in a minute or two. And that’s it! See our serving suggestions below for what to serve with this easy side dish.
I have made it several times and my family absolutely enjoys eating it every time. This is a go to recipe for green beans.
~Jessica
Chef Katie’s Expert Tips And FAQs
Variations To Try
These sauteed green beans are perfect in their simplicity, but they’re also somewhat of a blank canvas for adding creative flavors!
- Fresh Herbs: Add 1 tsp chopped woody herbs like thyme, rosemary or oregano with the garlic. Add tender herbs, like basil or tarragon, when they come off the heat.
- Lemon or Balsamic: Add fresh lemon juice, a little lemon zest or balsamic vinegar before serving.
- Nuts and/or Bacon: After the beans are cooked add almonds, pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts. Another yummy choice is a couple strips of crispy bacon, crumbled.
- Sesame or ginger: To pair with Asian food, add a little minced ginger with the red pepper flakes and drizzle on toasted sesame oil to finish the dish. Finish with sesame seeds.
- Cheese: Add a little shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, Crumbled chevre or goat cheese on top.
Storing Leftovers and Reheating
Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container up to three days. Keep refrigerated.
Reheating: We like to reheat them in the microwave for about 90 seconds per serving. Alternatively, you can reheat them in a non-stick skillet with a little splash of water or chicken broth, over medium heat, covered until steaming hot. Stir occasionally to heat evenly and do not overcook.
What To Serve With Green Beans
- For a traditional holiday meal or Sunday Supper pair these skillet green beans with Roasted Turkey, Rack of Lamb or our Herb Roasted Chicken.
- My family loves these simple green beans as a side dish with Roasted Chicken Thighs with crispy skin in the winter and Grilled Greek Chicken Thighs or Cedar Plank Salmon during grilling season.
- For a vegetarian meal, these delicious green beans go great with Vegetable Lasagna or Veggie Quiche.
Want More? Check out More Green Bean Recipes below the recipe card or invent your own recipe after reading our chef’s tips in my guide to How To Cook Green Beans!
Simple Veggie Side Dishes To Try
Here are a few easy recipes for vegetable side dishes you may want to try!
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintSimple Skillet Green Beans
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Description
This delicious green bean recipe is a perfect healthy side dish. They are cooked in one pot with garlic, olive oil and a little spice. It is one of the best green bean recipes because it is both quick and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake, or to taste
- 1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add red pepper flake and stir to coat the pepper in the oil.
- Add green beans and cook, stirring often until the beans are blistering and browning in areas, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add garlic and salt and cook, stirring constantly until the garlic is fragrant and browning, about 30 seconds.
- Add water and immediately cover with a well-fitting lid or sheet of aluminum foil. Steam the green beans, covered, until they are bright green and crisp tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions
1. Blanch green beans for 1 minute in boiling salted water.
2. Shock in an ice bath to immediately stop them from cooking. Drain well in a colander.
3. Keep refrigerated in a large storage container or ziplock bag for 1 day.
4. Before using in the recipe, make sure they are completely dry (use a clean dish towel or paper towels.)
5. Follow the instructions in this recipe but do not add the water and steam covered. They will be tender enough after searing them. Note that the beans will not brown as well as they sear, but they will still be quite tasty.
To Trim Haricot Verts or Green Beans: The stem end of the bean is tough and fibrous. This must be removed. To do so easily, line up a handful of the beans with the stems facing the same direction. Cut them off all at once. No need to cut off the pointy tip.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 70
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 1 g
More Favorite Green Bean Recipes
Try more fresh green bean recipes from our collection. Make sure to leave a star rating and review if you try any of these recipes!
I am losing weight and am looking for some recipes to complete my weight loss schedule. so lucky i found you If you have more, can I learn more? How can I contact you here? thank you very much.
Hi Peter. Welcome. Feel free to leave comments as you are here. And also sign up for my newsletter. I send out the latest recipe plus some ideas for the upcoming week every Saturday. When you sign up you’ll get my weeknight dinner ebook too!
This dish is completely natural and beneficial to health.
I will make a small party to invite my friends.
I will share the recipe with my friends when they are trying to lose weight.
thank you
Glad you like it jessica!
I didn’t even get to the recipe. The biography was too long.
Hello Mich. Feel free to use the handy “Jump To Recipe” button next time. Cheers!
Beans are delicious and good for health, my family uses it 3 meals / week
Thank you your tips
So glad you love them Lisa!
It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten the beans my mother cooked.
I think I’m going to cook dinner for my family tonight.
Let me know how it comes out!
In trying to prep for the holidays, do you think this recipe would freeze well? I’ve made them before & they’re delicious! Thanks in advance
Hi Pam, So sorry for the delay in responding. I would say that the texture won’t be nearly as good. Freezing green beans makes them kind of limp. To prep them ahead you can trim them and wrap them in a paper towel and then inside a zip-lock bag (raw) for 5 days.
What is the purpose of coarse kosher salt? Why should you use it?
The coarse kosher salt has larger grains (or flakes) so it’s easier to hold onto and sprinkle evenly. If you don’t have it substitute 1/4 teaspoon table salt. You can read more about the difference between kosher salt and other salts here: https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/can-i-substitute-kosher-salt-for-table-salt/
I love to cook! They are work, everything is for me. Finding new recipes to add to the menu for every day has always motivated me, made me energetic and love this job more. Today’s my lucky day, simple skillet green beans is great, just follow the instructions and everything is easy, I like that. Thanks for your sharing
So glad you think so!
This is a great side dish. I totally agree with you that the sides are the most exciting part of a meal and this recipe is no exception!
Thank you Mattie!!
I did not add the red peppers but did use chopped up onions instead. Otherwise, no changes. I cooked the mixture till the onions were soft. Great recipe! My husband does not eat cooked veggies often, but ate this with no complaints.
That is music to my ears. Glad that the onions were a good addition. Good to know!
Looks delicious and healthy. Thank you for inspiring healthy eating with me
I forgot the stars! A solid 5! 🙂
Thank you Heidi!!
Our garden is bursting with beans right now, so I really need to cooks lots of them. I tried this recipe tonight and it was really good, I’m pre-cooking for a 5-day river trip and I’m wondering if this dish could be frozen after it’s made, and then thawed out and re-heated in a skillet in camp. Do you think this would work? Thank you!
Hi Heidi. Holy moly i missed this message. Sorry! Did you try it? I love freezing prep for camping too. I am not sure I would recommend it here though. The beans would be fine trimmed and kept in a bag at cool or room temp for several days- just as long as they’re not steaming in your bag.
We have canned way too many dilly beans and I have been looking for more ways to use up the fresh beans. Thank you for this recipe.
I love making dilly beans too, but we only need a half dozen jars or so for the winter. Totally agree! Glad you liked the recipe John.
When I was young we used to visit the Mason family on Cumberland Head every Summer. Their house was right next to the house by the lighthouse. I cherish those memories and remember playing with Chris and Sue Mason. Their mother, Mary was a wonderful person and I miss her.
Love those summer memories John. Thanks for sharing!